The Wearables Revolution will be the biggest market ever

Note: I’m starting to bet a big part of my reputation and a fair amount of my capital on the Wearables Revolution. In this week’s Revolution Investing, which we’re making free for readers of the Cody Word today, I outline why.

In 2009, I started writing columns about what I was calling the App Revolution. I made predictions about the potential size, scope and growth of apps, smartphones and tablets, and how they would change our lives forever.

Most of my predictions like “the ultimate size of a market that will entail billions of people using trillions of apps” from back then seemed outrageous at the time.

Now they seem prescient: “When you find the single largest target market in the history of the planet, it’s time to get excited by apps. I’ve certainly been obsessed with all things apps since I started looking at the growth ahead and the ultimate size of a market that will entail billions of people using trillions of apps. Seriously, those are real numbers…”

I explained to people that apps were going to become the “largest target market in the history of the planet.” Even though we all use apps and even though the App Revolution did indeed change everything and become the largest target market in the history of the world, I’ve just come to the realization that the App Revolution is actually just getting started. The Wearables Revolution, which only works because we’ve become such an app-centric economy, is going to make an even bigger impact than the Smartphone and Tablet Revolutions did with apps.

That is, wearables are to the smartphone and tablet what the smartphone and tablet were to PCs. Wearable technology that keeps people and companies connected to the Internet through simple-to-use apps is the single most evolutionarily revolutionary technology to hit since the smartphone was first rolled out.

I’ve been testing out Google Glass for the last few weeks, and I have seen the future. The future is one where you will talk and/or tap on your Smartglasses and Smartwatches and Smartrings and other smart jewelry (i.e., wearables) to interact with the data, information and personal content with more ease than ever before.

The reason apps for wearables is so important is because of the very simple interfaces required by the wearable-form factor. When you want to control and manipulate your data, information and content deeply, you’ll go to your PC. In the same way that it’s much easier to sign up for and type and view on your Facebook profile page or your Google Analytics on your PC than it is on your smartphone, the same is true for wearables. Wearables won’t “replace” your smartphone entirely in the same way that your smartphone didn’t “replace” your PC entirely.

You can still record a video with a camera accessory to your desktop computer and upload it to YouTube or Facebook. For another decade at least, you’ll always have the option of pulling out your smartphone or tablet to record a video and upload it to YouTube or Facebook. Just think how much easier it would be to simply tap your Google Glass and say: “OK, glass, record a video,” and then to say “OK, glass, share this with YouTube (or Facebook).” It’s so much easier.

With holographic projectors and wearable eyepieces and other display-form factors coming out as the wearable technology polishes itself up for prime time, the possibilities and potential for wearable technology is unrivaled.

The Wearables Revolution is going to make a lot of people a lot of fortunes over the next five to 10 years, as people start buying three, five or even 10 wearable computers for every one smartphone they have. To get all my favorite Revolution Investing stock picks, sign up here. You can also hear a podcast version of this article below. And be sure to subscribe to The Cody Underground podcast on iTunes.

Cody Willard writes Revolution Investing for MarketWatch, posts the trades from his personal account at TradingWithCody.com, which is not affiliated with MarketWatch, and is the largest shareholder in Scutify‘s parent company, Wall Street All-Stars. At the time of publication, Cody was net long Apple, IXYS and Ambarella. Follow Cody on Twitter at twitter.com/codywillard.

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About The Cody Word

Cody Willard writes the Revolution Investing investment newsletter for MarketWatch and posts the trades from his personal account at TradingWithCody.com He is the founder of WallStreetAll-Stars.com and the principal of CL Willard Capital. Cody serves as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University and is on the University of New Mexico Alumni Board. He was an anchor on the Fox Business Network, where he was the co-host of the long-time #1-rated show on the network, Fox Business Happy Hour. Cody, a former hedge fund manager, and his stock picks and economic outlooks have been featured on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ABC’s 20/20, CBS Evening News, CNBC’s SquawkBox, Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, as well as in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many other outlets.